WPP Final Project- CEP 812

Hello All!

I am proud to present my final WPP results video! I hope you enjoy it. You can find it located here.

You will find a few portions from my video below. The text from the problem, the text from the solution, and the TPACK questions and answers are listed in this section. Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments!

Text of the Problem:

Assessment is a major function of all classrooms and my classroom is no different. The curriculum in my school is intense and asks students to have a huge set of content knowledge. Not only must students know the content, but they must have skills that allow them to showcase their knowledge and use it to solve multiple types of problems.

Throughout my classes I constantly assess my student’s understanding of the material being presented. This formative assessment is mostly done orally, but is sometimes done using pen and paper. When completing the assessments by word of mouth I am able to instantaneously alter my instruction. If I notice that I have failed to clarify a certain point I will change the course of the lesson. The problem, however, is that I only receive information from a small sample of my students. When using pen and paper, the feedback is not instantaneous, and I fail to alter my lesson within the desired timeframe.

In order to provide better instruction that is moldable to my students needs, I wanted to find a technology that allows me to poll results from all of my students instantaneously.

Text of the Solution:

My goal was to address this issue with the use of CPS clickers. The clickers themselves integrate well with the SmartBoard that is installed in my room. I planned to use the clickers to formatively assess student understanding throughout my lessons. I gave students clickers at the beginning of each lesson and had them answer questions throughout. I had planned on quickly adding questions when necessary. Depending on the results, I had planned to change my instruction in a manner that would help students key in on topics that they were struggling with. I wanted to improve student understanding of my content by using the clickers.

I used this approach with one of my 9th grade World Studies classes. I teach two sections of this course and one class used the clickers while the other did not. The class that did not was my control. I ran the project for a total of five classes in my World Religion unit. The second class used predefined questions throughout the lesson to gauge how well my students understood the content.  I also used some instant questions for immediate feedback.

TPACK Questions and Answers:

TP- What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

As a teacher in an IB history classroom I strive to use inquiry throughout my lessons. I try to guide my students towards a better understanding of the content. When designing activities I often look to create lessons that provide frameworks for students and that push them to uncover the content. The clickers that I used for this project helped me to gain a better understanding of my students understanding of the material. Inquiry is not just giving a student a worksheet and letting them “research” the answer. In order to create great learning environments I must monitor my student’s success, and help guide them throughout the process. Clickers allow me to do this better and help me to provide only the necessary scaffolding for students. My understanding of their knowledge allows me to implement supports and remove them as necessary. I believe that students should be pushed to succeed and that they cannot do so without the right supports.

TC- What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The clickers that I used made content knowledge more accessible by allowing me as a teacher to alter my teaching based upon my findings. When students struggle with a particular topic I am not always aware of the problem. My teaching will never be perfect and I need to be aware of content gaps when then occur. No two students learn the same, and while I try to differentiate, there are times when I struggle. Using the clickers provided me with instant feedback of my teaching effectiveness. With this data in hand I was able to cover gaps of content knowledge in new ways. When teaching lessons without clickers I am sometimes unaware of my pitfalls until I assess my students in a more traditional manner. The clickers allowed me to see student understanding instantaneously.

PC- What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

My teaching often asks students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information. Doing so with inquiry can be a challenge for students and myself. Improperly scaffolding lessons can lead to misunderstandings and content knowledge gaps. Using the clickers allowed me to assess my own teaching on the fly and alter it to meet the needs of my students. Strong content knowledge cannot be accurately constructed without a solid knowledge base. Any misunderstandings need to be addressed. When giving students documents to analyze or problems to solve it is necessary for me to check for understanding. While doing checks it is possible for me to miss problems that my students may be having.

The clickers allowed me to make more accurate decisions. Using the clickers with my inquiry teaching method helps students to uncover the content in a more efficient manner. Using predefined questions, as well as instant questions, helped inform my teaching style or pedagogy instantaneously. Providing information to students without helping them decipher its intricacies can lead to poor understanding of the content. Inquiry is not useful when students are provided with skills and content that they do not really understand. The use of clickers in my classroom allowed me to become a better teacher of content through a more effective pedagogical teaching style.

Group Leadership Project- CEP 812

Hello! This is our final PD product for CEP 812. It is a great tutorial in how to use Windows Movie Maker across content areas to create engaging lessons. These lessons are all aligned with various standards. The video for our final product can be found here.

Below, you will find a description of our final product as well as some takeaways from the process itself. You may also want to read other posts about our production process here and here.

Tool Used:

For this tutorial, we recorded our use of Windows Movie Maker with Camtasia Studio. Windows Movie Maker is a tool that all people with a Windows PC can access. Because of this, we decided to use it as a tool to deliver content. Students are able to use it in a variety of ways to help foster deep student understanding of a topic. Many standards within the Common Core can be easily showcased. Each discipline that is highlighted uses it in a slightly different way. We used Camtasia Studio to record our “teaching” because it is easy to use and because it provides a seamless recording environment. In addition, it has a 30 day free trial that each of us could use.

Lessons Learned:

I learned a couple of things while working on this assignment. First of all, it was apparent that we each have a variety of interpretations when it comes to the requirements of one assignment. Each member within our group internalized the instructions differently. At times, this made it difficult for us to create a clear and consistent product. Additionally, I learned that there can and always will be problems when putting together a large assignment like this. When using video, people will use different codecs to encode their video and programs like Windows Movie Maker will crash on a variety of computers. Previews won’t show up and audio will fail to record. It is important to experiment far in advance with the technology to make sure that it works properly. In fact, we had so many problems that the final video was actually compiled within Camtasia Studio instead of Windows Movie Maker. While the videos that students would produce would be simplistic enough for WMM to handle, more advanced compilations would require a tool like Camtasia.

Things to do Different in the Future:

If I developed a similar product again, I would practice using the recording software far in advance. Most of the problems that occurred were do to the learning curve of Camtasia. I would also make sure that our group goals were more clearly outlined from the beginning. At times I was confused as to what my individual task was. Because of this I was concerned that the final product would not adequately show how helpful a tool like WMM could be in the classroom. 

Professional Learning Plan (CEP 812)

Coming into this course, I wanted to learn how I could integrate technology more deeply into my teaching. I have always been interested in the correlation between student understanding and the methods in which we teach. Using technology to create more engaging and informative classrooms was my goal from the start. Overall, I believe that my experiences in this class (and CEP 800) have helped me to move towards this objective.

At the start of this course I wanted to learn more about the TPACK model and how it could be integrated into my curriculum. I also wanted to be pushed to use technologies in new and interesting ways. At the end of the course, I feel like I achieved both of these goals. My understanding of the TPACK model has improved, and I am better able to reflect on my own teaching because of it. I gained invaluable experience in planning, implementing, and reflecting on an implementation of a technology through the WPP project.

In reflecting on the last two months of classes, there are few major goals that I want to focus on. Many of the lessons and activities that I participated within in CEP 812 have made me think about my future teaching. My specific goals are listed below:

Skills that I’d like to Gain:

·         Positive Affect- When planning any activity that involves technology I often try and think about the logistics of how it will be performed. I try to be meticulous and plan for a multitude of outcomes. What I often forgot to do, however, is create a positive aesthetic in my creation. This blog is a good example of this practice. I put time and effort into creating functional pieces, but fail to great pieces that “look” good. As I learned in CEP 800, positive aesthetics create positive affects. Things that look good tend to be internalized by students in a better fashion. As I move forward and understand more about the technology, I will be able to put more time and effort into the look and feel of the technologies that I use. They need to be functional AND look good.

·         Understanding of Technologies Impact on Cognitive Functioning- In CEP 800, we learned about the effect of, effect with, and effect through technology. These concepts truly intrigue me. When using technology it is easy to see that it can create a positive learning environment. For me, I would love to learn more about why this environment is created. I want to be able to answer the question, “How does this particular technology impact learning of a student?” Are the students performing better because of the technology, or are they transforming their thought processes because of the technology? I love this type of analysis and am intrigued with the differing theories about how we learn best. This understanding will help me be a better teacher and mentor to others within my school.

·         Professional Learning- Schools often put a huge focus on professional development. I find that many teachers are looking for quick technology additions for their lessons. The technology is used, but does not offer anything besides a positive aesthetic. By itself, this might not be horrible, but the technology could be used for so much more. I would love to learn how to prepare and create learning experiences (instead of just PD) that helps teachers transform their teaching. Effective uses of technology cannot be done piece by piece. There must be a wholesale ideological shift in order for teachers to improve their teaching.

How I Will Become a Better Teacher:

Throughout the next year (and beyond) I plan on meeting the goals that I have listed above. In order to do so, I will continue to read educational research and will attempt to expand my PLN. I will continue to reflect on my own teaching and will try not to become discouraged when things do not work out perfectly.

·         Technology can be frustrating, but I continue to make these troubling times a learning experience. Just as I practice in my classroom, every opportunity that presents a struggle is a teachable moment.  

·         Over the years my PLN has expanded immensely. I find that I am exposed to wonderful teaching ideas and ideologies through Twitter and Facebook. While I don’t use these services as much as I want, I plan on implementing them more throughout the year and beyond. I also am attempting to make use of the personal connections within my own school and community.

·         I love reading about student understanding. Without knowing how students interpret information teaching is less effective. I plan on continuing my understanding by reading a large variety of texts on the topic.

Specific Goals for the Next Year:

While the previously mentioned goals are fairly general, I do have a few specific goals for the next year. Over this time I plan on completing the MAET program. I have three specific goals for this time period.

·         Through the MAET program, I plan on focusing on the ways in which technology leads to student understanding. With each implementation of technology, I plan on analyzing how students may internalize the content because of the technology used. I will attempt to create learning environments that use technology to transform student thought about my content.

·         The WPP project showed me how effective the use of clickers can be in the classroom. My teaching typically includes a fair amount of formative assessment. The clickers, however, took this to a whole new level. They provided me with instant feedback that I could use to inform my teaching. Over the next year I plan to use these more extensively in a wider variety of classes. I will be focusing on creating predefined questions as well as using the instant question option. My WPP project showed a correlation between those that use clickers in this manner and student success on my assessment. I hope to ingrain these devices more deeply within my teaching.

·         Over the next year, I plan on taking a bigger leadership role within my school. Over the past two years, I have taught a few PD’s on a specific technology, but I have never done so in a way that focuses on professional learning (instead of PD). I plan on pushing myself to help my fellow teachers create classrooms that use technology at their core (instead of just as an addition). I find that when I teach a topic I become better versed in its intricacies. I learn from my students and my teaching improves. By pushing myself to complete more PD opportunities I will become a better teacher.

The next year is going to fun and interesting. I love the opportunity to work within the MAET program and I believe that I am a better teacher because of it!

I thought that I’d share some of my favorite resources that I’ve learned about (and used more frequently) because of this course! They’ve truly helped make me a better teacher!

Resources for teachers:

http://www.21things4teachers.net/index.html

http://www.schrockguide.net/

Classroom Tools:

http://windows.microsoft.com/is-IS/windows-live/movie-maker-get-started

http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html

http://www.polleverywhere.com/

http://www.twitter.com

http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0

Part D- Findings and Implications (CEP 812)

For my CEP 812 project I used the CPS clickers that work with my SmartBoard. This is the review that I did at the end of the project. 

Implementation of the Plan-

Using clickers for my WPP project has been a great experience. While not all of the things that I had planned to implement panned out, the overall project was a success.

For this project I had planned to utilize clickers more to help inform my instructional decisions. As I reported earlier in this post, I was able to adequately implement half of my plan.  I had hoped to inform my teaching using both predefined questions and instant questions through the Smart Response software. In the five sessions that I taught during this two-week period, I found that I struggled to utilize the instant questions in an effective manner. They were slow to add on my computer, and I found myself dreading adding them. Because of this, I often chose not to include them in my lessons. I believe that my students missed out on powerful learning experiences because of my inability to add these questions. The predefined questions, however, were implemented successfully. I was able to take responses from the multiple-choice questions that I provided to highlight certain topics that my students were struggling with. In the end, I am fairly certain that this modification to my teaching was beneficial and effective.

Summative Results-

When looking at the results of my classes, I believe that my students were successful. Throughout my religion unit I assessed my second class using the clickers. My first class did not use receive instruction using them. This process slowed down my teaching and made it hard for me to keep both classes on time. When assessing both classes, I did so with a traditional written quiz. Within my course, there are very few assessments that use multiple-choice questions, and I wanted to make this assessment as authentic as possible.  An example of this document can be found here.

When looking at the data, I found that the students in my second class performed slightly better than those in the first (the one without clickers). Each question on the quiz was worth two points. Students received one point for a basic understanding of the question and an additional point for mastery of the question. Most students in both classes did exceptionally well with the first point. However, there were some differences between the students in my classes based upon the second point. Those that were taught using the clickers, seemed to have a deeper understanding of the questions. My first section, which has 29 students, averaged a 15.2 on the quiz. My second section, which has a slightly smaller 24 students, averaged a 16 on the quiz.

There is an obvious correlation between the clickers and the improved quiz results. The question, however, is whether or not there is causation between the two. Based upon my classroom observations, I strongly believe that there is a correlation. The discussions that occurred because of my findings were great, and seemed to lead to better understandings of the topics.

Differences if Implemented Again-

If I were to complete a similar project in the future, I would make sure to put more time into planning each individual step of the process. While I had my questions prepared prior to each lesson, I was unprepared with the struggle that I would have adding instant questions. I am considering bringing in my laptop to use for future lessons. For some reason, it seems to add instant questions much easier and quicker. Also, I would make sure to think about the logistical concerns of a future technological implementation. While it was not overly problematic, it was time consuming at times for my students to initially log in and use the clickers. As the classes went on, however, students had an easier time doing so. The use of technology is ineffective if students cannot adequately use the software or hardware.

Recommendations for Uses of Clickers in the Classroom

• Create logins for each student. Doing so, allowed my students to streamline the process. After the first few classes, students logged in quite quickly.

• Make a concerted effort to add instant questions. While my preplanned questions were helpful, I believe that the instant questions would have been more beneficial. Regardless of the struggle that you may have adding instant questions, DO IT!

• Be willing to alter your instruction! Teaching isn’t helpful if the students struggle to understand what you are talking about! You can always modify your lessons later if time is needed. YOU MUST TEACH FOR UNDERSTANDING!

Future Uses of Technology

If in the future I complete a similar activity, I will make sure to focus on the educational needs of my students. I chose not to implement a portion of my plan because it was slightly inconvenient and because it would take more time out of my plans. I must focus on being more fluid with my instruction. That was the overall goal of this project, and I was in part unsuccessful. No matter the technology, I must be willing to change my instruction to meet the needs of each of my students. Student understanding is the most important thing.

CEP 812- Mobile Lab

Mobile devices can be great tools to help engage students in the classroom. Our classrooms cannot be the same as they were ten years, five years, or even one year ago. Not only will students be barely engaged, but they will not be prepared for the world that they will one day encounter. We must remember that education is designed to prepare our students for their future schools and jobs. Pretending that cell phones, tablets, and social networks do not exist is a recipe for disaster. It was this ideal that made me excited to find out that our CEP 812 lab was designed to help us explore the use of mobile devices in the classroom.

When looking through the classroom 2.0 website I found a lot of inspiration for my own teaching. My school is lucky enough to have iPads to use in our classrooms. I have used Twitter in the past with these devices, but would love to continue to do so in more engaging ways. Using the iPads to have students respond to questions and allowing them to ask their own questions could be a powerful tool. I also found that students really enjoyed posting comments just like they would at home. I had a number of students who started using Twitter because of my use in the classroom.

In the future I’d like to use Twitter to hold more engaging classroom discussions. Students could include videos, images, and quotes within their tweets. Those students who struggle sharing in large classes would be able to do so in a protected environment.

I’m also really excited to try other iPad and iPhone (or smart phone) applications. I’d love to use the devices for polling (like polleverywhere) to formatively assess my students. I have done this with CPS clickers in my current classroom, but I feel like they are almost too one-dimensional. Using mobile computers allows questions to be more detailed and the responses to be more advanced than with traditional multiple-choice questions.

Ultimately, I want to create an engaging classroom experience that teaches students skills that they will use in the future. I am aware, though, that this ambition will be met with many challenges. First and foremost, is the cost of mobile devices. While my school has a few iPads, there are never enough to go around. My district does not allow cell phones in the classroom and I am unable to fill the void in my classroom. Additionally, considering that my curriculum is highly common, it is always a challenge to get other teachers to experiment with this type of technology. While they are willing to try differing web 2.0 services, wholesale changes in content delivery are scrutinized. With hard work, however, I feel like I will eventually be able to overcome these problems.

As an experiment I used Polleverywhere (http://polleverywhere.com) to conduct this survey. Enjoy!

Mind Map- CEP812

Hello,

As part of CEP 812, we were asked to construct a visual representation. I decided to create a mind map using Text2mindmap. Overall, I loved the service (even if it was quite limited). Enjoy!

PART B- Storyboard and Script

Hello!

For our group CEP 812 project, we have created the following storyboard documents. One document provides the scripts with descriptions and details about how the Windows Movie Maker presentation will progress. The second document shows a better visual representation of the storyboard. I personally created my own section on WMM in the Social Studies elective and provided input to other sections.

I will be recording my own portion of the video from a Social Studies elective standpoint.  I will be highlighting the Common Core standards that highlight the comparison between authors and their viewpoints. I will also, most likely, be recording the concluding segment. We will each have at least one section to record. The final video files will be sent to one individual who will compile the videos into a final ten minute video.

Here is document one.

Here is document two.

PART C- Implementation (CEP 812 WPP)

Hello Again!

I've been working on my Wicked Problems Project for a while now. I have a few updates for how my project has been progressing that are in my podcast. I've also added some images for you to see how things are set up. Please leave any comments or questions below!

Here is my podcast

The CPS clickers in their case

The clickers that I use

My SmartBoard in use!

PART B: Application of TPACK

Using clickers, I am attempting to fix a problem in my teaching. The following writeup shows you how TPACK is influencing my teaching! Enjoy!

PART B: Application of TPACK: Basic description of each of these areas and important characteristics of these areas as related to this project

1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

As a teacher in an IB history classroom I strive to use inquiry throughout my lessons. I try to guide my students towards a better understanding of the content. When designing activities I often look to create lessons that provide frameworks for students and that push them to uncover the content. The clickers that I am using for this project help me to gain a better understanding of my students understanding of the material. Inquiry is not just giving a student a worksheet and letting them “research” the answer. In order to create great learning environments I must monitor my students success, and help guide them throughout the process. Clickers will hopefully allow me to do this better and help me to provide only the necessary scaffolding for students. My understanding of their knowledge will allow me to implement supports and remove them as necessary. I believe that students should be pushed to succeed and that they cannot do so without the right supports.

2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The clickers that I am using for my Wicked Problems Project make content knowledge more accessible by allowing me as a teacher to alter my teaching based upon my findings. When students struggle with a particular topic I am not always aware of the problem. My teaching will never be perfect and I need to be aware of content gaps when then occur. No two students learn the same, and while I try to differentiate, there are times when I struggle. Using the clickers provides me with instant feedback of my teaching effectiveness. With this data in hand I can cover gaps of content knowledge in new ways. Without the use of the clickers I would most likely be unaware of my pitfalls until I assessed my students in a more traditional manner.

3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

My teaching often asks students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information. Doing so with inquiry can be a challenge for students and myself. Improperly scaffolding lessons can lead to misunderstandings and content knowledge gaps. Using the clickers will allow me assess my own teaching on the fly and alter it to meet the needs of my students. Strong content knowledge cannot be accurately constructed without a solid knowledge base. Any misunderstandings need to be addressed. When giving students documents to analyze or problems to solve it is necessary for me to check for understanding. While doing checks it is possible for me to miss problems that my students may be having. The clickers allow me to make more accurate decisions. Using the clickers with my inquiry teaching method helps students to uncover the content in a more efficient manner. Providing information to students without helping them decipher its intricacies can lead to poor understanding of the content. Inquiry is not useful when students are provided with skills and content that they do not really understand. The use of clickers in my classroom will allow me to become a better teacher of content through a more effective pedagogical teaching style.

CEP 812 Ning Post- SMART Exchange

Hello,

I recently used the NING MACUL page (located here) to post a technology tip.

Here is a screenshot of my post!

PART A- Brainstorm Session (CEP812)

Facilitating quality meetings over the Internet can often be a challenge. For our CEP 812 project we decided to use an Adobe connect session. It was a great experience that provided us with almost every tool that we could want to use. We took advantage of a notes tool, a document uploading tool, and the general chat features.

There were a great deal of other tools that we could have used during our chat. The screen sharing and polling feature would have allowed us to go more in depth when we shared our thoughts. Polling would have proved to be especially helpful.  At times, it seemed as if there was significant delay when trying to talk with a microphone. When asking the group to come to a consensus it would have been wise for us to use this tool.

Ultimately, the great deal of tools that you can use within Adobe Connect sessions are both its strength and its weakness. As a user you can create a wonderful collaborative environment that allows you share a variety of media. This same strength, however, can lead to feeling of anxiety for the novice user. I felt as if I wanted to use as many tools as possible help the chat flow smoothly. This was very challenging to do because of our lack of familiarity with the tools. Other services, like Skype and Google Hangout, could also have been used. However, they would not have provided the same quality of services that come with Adobe Connect.

You can view our recording here:

http://remc.adobeconnect.com/p51vvmadm4k/

Part A- Description of Need or Opportunity

As part of CEP 812, I am solving a problem in my classroom using technology. In this post you will see the outline of my problem and the way in which I plan on fixing this problem. Enjoy!

PART A: The Wicked Problem - A Need or an Opportunity

1. What is the important educational need that you are seeking to address? This element is fundamental in this project. Since we have limited time, energy, and resources, cool technology without a clear sense of why it matters or what we gain by it is of little value in the educational setting.

Assessment is a major function of all classrooms and my classroom is no different. The curriculum in my school is intense and asks students to have a huge set of content knowledge. Not only must students know the content, but they must have skills that allow them to showcase their knowledge and use it to solve multiple types of problems. Throughout my classes I constantly assess my student’s understanding of the material being presented. This formative assessment is mostly done orally, but is sometimes done using pen and paper. When completing the assessments by word of mouth I am able to instantaneously alter my instruction. If I notice that I have failed to clarify a certain point I will change the course of the lesson. The problem, however, is that I only receive information from a small sample of my students. When using pen and paper, the feedback is not instantaneous, and I fail to alter my lesson within the desired timeframe. In order to provide better instruction that is moldable to my students needs, I need to find a technology that will allow me to poll results from all of my students instantaneously.

2. How you plan to address this educational issue with technology?  You need to make a clear and convincing case that your proposed solution will make a real impact on the issue you identify, and that your proposed approach is a reasonable approach given its costs and possible alternatives.

I plan to address this issue with the use of CPS clickers. The clickers themselves integrate well with the SmartBoard that is installed in my room. I will use the clickers to assess students understanding throughout lessons. I will give students clickers at the beginning of each lesson and will have them answer questions throughout. I will also be able to quickly add a quesiton at any point if I feel that it needs to be addressed. Depending on the results, I will change my instruction in a manner that will key in on topics that students are struggling with. I believe that this will be an effective strategy that will give my students more chances to take in my content. If I notice that a certain topic is not understood, I can alter my instruction to better teach the material. This differentiation will hopefully help me reach a broader range of students.

3. Logistics of solution: For example…

1. What is the scope? (e.g., when and where will tool be used and for how long? Who all will use it?)

I will use this approach with one of my 9th grade World Studies classes. I teach two sections of this course and one class will use the clickers, while the other will not. The class that does not will be my control. The classes meet every other day in a block schedule and the assessment will run for five total days.

4. Relevant research and resources (from the Internet and elsewhere) including reports on the closest effort you can find to what you are planning to do as well as ideas and materials you may be able to build upon in your own effort.  Your description should include:

1. The results of your search (What resources may help guide your project? What resources may help in the implementation of your project?)
2. What you learned from performing this search. For example, which search engines did you use? What strategies did you use? What helped or hindered your search? How would you search again next time?

A- I found many resources that will be helpful for my project. They are linked here: Smart Exchange- http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0 This resource provides SMART templates and lesson ideas for teachers. The clicker system is integrated with my SmartBoard and the lessons (and quizzes) that are used here will be helpful in my teaching. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (UofM)- http://teachingwclicker.wiki.usfca.edu/file/view/teaching+with+clickers.pdf This PDF is from U of M and highlights the benefits of teaching with clickers in the college classroom. Many of the same ideals that are touched upon in this writing can be adapted to my classroom. There is a section on best practices that I found to be quite good. There is also a great section with suggestions on how to implement the use of clickers in your own classroom. Classroom Teacher Blog- http://blog.classroomteacher.ca/617/using-clickers-in-the-classroom/ This blog provides good teaching ideas from an actual teacher. It is basic, but gives ideas of how to use the clickers in the classroom. B- I learned that clickers are widely used by a great deal of teachers in numerous fields. From elementary schools to college classrooms, clickers can be used for formative and summative assessment. Professors in college classrooms and elementary settings all use response systems to help judge student understanding. I used Google and Google Scholar to help me find resources. I wanted to find resources from teachers and from academics in the field. Both of these resources helped me to do so. There are a great deal of places on the internet that provide useful tools for clickers. If I were to search again, I would change the search terms that I used. Instead of searching, “clickers classroom uses,” I may search, “clickers blogs classroom.” Searches like this would return websites that are geared directly towards teachers. Many of the resources that were initially produced were for clicker companies (like CPS).

5. A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.

During- I plan to implement the pre and post-test during the course. I will teach five lessons that use the CPS clickers and will assess their effectiveness with the two assessments. The class using clickers will be assessed the one that did not use clickers. After- I plan to analyze the data and continue using the clickers if they prove to be effective. I will attempt to use a greater variety of question types (instead of just the true/false and multiple choice).

6. How would you know you were successful?

I will know that I was successful if students perform well on the post-test for this portion of my course. Prior to implementation there will be a pre-test that is given to both classes. This baseline data will help me discern whether or not the growth that I see is due to the use of the clickers or because of a difference in the classes themselves. At the end of this project I will chart the average assessment score from each class and note the growth of each class. If student growth is greater in the class with clickers I will know that I was successful.

Funny Technology Story...

Hello!

This is my funny technology story for CEP 812. It was made using Screen-Cast-o-Matic.

Here it is.